Start, Sit ‘Em Shots and Defenses for Fantasy Football Week 9

It’s Week 9, everyone! It’s time to set up those fantastic lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups in fantasy football leagues from a given week. Each week, I’ll examine shooters and defenses that may or may not have exceeded expectations based on their weekly opponents…like Wil Lutz and the Broncos defense in Week 8!

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All Positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K and DSTs

B: Yes: 49ers, Steelers

1. Brandon Aubrey on Falcons
2. Austin Seibert on Cardinals
3. Younghoe Koo vs. Cowboys
4. Harrison Butker on Raiders
5. Justin Tucker vs. Broncos
6. Wil Lutz on Ravens
7. Will Reichard vs. Colts
8. Ka’imi Fairbairn at Jets (Thursday)
9. Blake at Grupe Panthers
10. Evan McPherson vs. Raiders

Complete Week 9 kicker rankings (Coming soon!)

Start of the Week

Younghoe Koo vs. Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Koo made two terrible throws in a row, totaling seven fantasy points. But a matchup with the Cowboys will cure what ails him. Their defense has allowed four different hitters to score at least eight points since Week 4, including three openers with 14 or more points.

Start Them

Evan McPherson vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): McPherson hasn’t been very productive in recent weeks, totaling 14 fantasy points in his last four games. He’ll still be a good broadcaster against the Raiders. Their defense has allowed all but two hitters to beat them by at least nine runs, and five batters have struck out 11 or more in 2024.

Wil Lutz on Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Lutz has been one of the best shooters in fantasy this season, averaging nearly 10 points per game. I’ll keep him active this week as well, as Lutz will face a Baltimore defense that allowed at least nine points to five players, including four who scored at least 11 points. Look for Lutz to post a nice total.

Kickers with Good Matches

Session of the Week

Matt Gay on Vikings (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC): Gay has posted strong totals in his last four games, scoring at least eight fantasy points and averaging nearly 10. But there’s a tough matchup against the Vikings this week that makes it a gamble. No scorer scored more than eight points against Minnesota, and five scored five or fewer points.

sit them down

Packers’ Jake Bates (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): Bates, who was named the starter last week, has scored 12 fantasy points and has scored 29 points in his last three games, so it’s tough to keep him out of the fantasy lineup. The Packers have a tough matchup this week as they allow just 6.5 points per game. I would temper expectations.

Jason Sanders on Bills (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Sanders is putting up one of the best fantasy stat lines, scoring 11 points against the Cardinals. Still, he’s had little chance in his career against this week’s opponent, the Bills. Sanders averaged just 4.6 fantasy points in 12 contests. He has also scored just 11 total points in his last four contests.

Bad Match Kickers

1. Vikings’ defense against Colts
2. Bengals defense vs. Raiders
3. Ravens’ defense vs. Broncos
4. Eagles’ defense vs. Jaguars
5. Saints’ defense at Panthers
6. Titans’ defense vs. Patriots
7. Bills defense against Dolphins
8. Chiefs defense vs. Buccaneers (Mon.)
9. Commanders in Giants
10. Chargers defense at Browns

Complete Week 9 defensive rankings (Coming soon!)

Start of the Week

Titans defense vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Titans are a nice coverage defense because they face a Patriots team that may have to start Jacoby Brissett. New England has also been generous with fantasy defenses, averaging more than nine points per game against them. The Patriots also allowed 27 sacks, the second-most of any team in the league.

Start Them

Bengals defense vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Fox): The Bengals defense isn’t very useful in fantasy leagues, but this week’s matchup against the Raiders makes him a great steam option. The Las Vegas offense is mostly devoid of talent, allowing the fourth-most sacks this season. Cincinnati is also present in many leagues.

Saints defense at Panthers (1 p.m. ET, CBS): New Orleans’ defense has been terrible from a real football standpoint, but it still ranks in the top 10 in fantasy points. I would start against the Panthers and Bryce Young because they averaged just 15.5 points per game while giving up 14 turnovers on offense. The teams had a maximum average of eight points against themselves in total.

Defenses with Good Matchups

Session of the Week

Broncos defense at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Broncos have the best defense in terms of fantasy points, but that’s not a “must start” by any means. I would actually be wary of Denver in a road game against the Ravens. This could be a down week for the new “Orange Crush” as defenses average the fewest fantasy points against Lamar Jackson and his offense.

sit them down

Packers’ defense vs. Lions (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): The Packers defense ranks third in fantasy points this season, but like the Broncos, they have a bad matchup this week. Detroit’s offense averaged a staggering 33.4 points and 385.1 yards per game and also had the fifth-fewest turnovers of the team on the season. This makes Green Bay a reproach.

Seahawks defense vs. Rams (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox): The Seahawks have a top-10 fantasy defense, but starting that unit against Matthew Stafford and a resurgent Rams offense is a bad move. The return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Naca made a huge difference last week, and I expect that success to continue in a key NFC West battle.

Defenses with Bad Matchups